Prayers and Meditations — §177

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 177 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

المَمْلُوكِ بِأَنْ تُقَدِّرَ لَهُمْ خَيْرَ الدُّنْيا وَالآخِرَةِ ثُمَّ اكْتُبْ لَهُمْ ما لا عَرَفَهُ أَحَدٌ مِنْ خَلْقِكَ ثُمَّ اجْعَلْهُمْ مِنَ الَّذِينَ طافُوا حَوْلَكَ وَيَطُوفُونَ حَوْلَ عَرْشِكَ فِيْ كُلِّ عالَمٍ مِنْ عَوالِمِكَ، إِنَّكَ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

I implore Thee, O Thou the King of kings and the Pitier of the downtrodden, to ordain for them the good of this world and of the world to come. Write down for them, moreover, what none of Thy creatures hath discovered, and number them with those who have circled round Thee, and who move about Thy throne in every world of Thy worlds.

Translation Notes

المَمْلُوكِ

m-l-k → “Kingdom” Distinctive

literal: kingdom; king; owner

بِأَنْ

ʾ-n-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

تُقَدِّرَ

q-d-r → “ordain”

literal: power; might; decree; measure; worth

لَهُمْ

l-h-m → “inspiration” Distinctive

literal: inspiration; divine inspiration; revelation

خَيْرَ

kh-y-r → “good”

literal: good; goodness; benefit; better; best

الدُّنْيا

d-n-w → “of this world”

literal: this world; earthly life; temporal realm; lowest; base; mean; of little account; to know; to be acquainted with

وَالآخِرَةِ

ʾ-kh-r → “world to come”

literal: the hereafter, the next life, the world to come; last, latter; the next life, the hereafter; delay; postponement

ثُمَّ

th-m-m → “then”

literal: then; thereafter; next; moreover

اكْتُبْ

k-t-b → “Write down”

literal: book; scripture; writing

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

literal: what; which; that which; relative pronoun; interrogative

لا

l-ʾ → “or”

literal: no; not; negation particle

عَرَفَهُ

ʿ-r-f → “discovered” Distinctive

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

أَحَدٌ

ʾ-ḥ-d

literal: Divine unity; monotheism; belief in the oneness of God

مِنْ

m-n → “of”

literal: from; out of; than (preposition and particle)

خَلْقِكَ

kh-l-q → “Thy creatures”

literal: character; moral traits; disposition; conduct

اجْعَلْهُمْ

j-ʿ-l → “number”

literal: to make; to cause; to render; to appoint

الَّذِينَ

l-dh-y

literal: those who; the ones who (relative pronoun)

طافُوا

ṭ-w-f → “have circled”

literal: flood, deluge, tempest

حَوْلَكَ

ḥ-w-l → “round Thee”

literal: states; conditions; circumstances; situations; affairs

عَرْشِكَ

ʿ-r-sh → “Thy throne”

literal: of the Throne; companion of the Throne

فِيْ

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

كُلِّ

k-l-l → “every”

literal: for us; to us

عالَمٍ

ʿ-l-m → “world”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

إِنَّكَ

ʾ-n-n

literal: that; those; he; she; it

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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16 ¶

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291 ¶

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17 ¶

Tablet of Carmel

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5 ¶

Tablet of the Holy Mariner

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57 ¶

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160 ¶

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59 ¶